April Game Thread

[gehringer_2]

Gostisbehere kept backing up at the point allowing a Ranger to close on him before the puck got there  and tying him up when he could have gotten to puck 1st and made a clean play. Did it more than once. Frustrating to watch.

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, Dtrain72 said:

and they're currently the 3rd oldest team in the NHL

Part of why they are flagging late in the season.

[gehringer_2]

TBF, the old-guys are just place holders, someone has to play the minutes, but was is depressing is that they need to be having at least one good young player come up every season and it was nearly two full seasons from Raymond and Seider to Edvinsson.

[1984Echoes]

2 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

.... They really don't belong in the playoffs, but if Larkin can will them there they may get there.

The schedule favors them.

The Islanders and Penguins have to run near-impossible gauntlets to get/ stay in the playoff race...

Detroit has a relatively easy schedule and critical point games against the Caps & Penguins... so they at least control their fate.

Flyers and Caps have slightly more difficult schedules and face each other the last game of the season.

The remaining schedules, at least how they look...

Favor the Red Wings' playoff chances over the others.

[lordstanley]

17 hours ago, 1984Echoes said:

The schedule favors them.

The Islanders and Penguins have to run near-impossible gauntlets to get/ stay in the playoff race...

Detroit has a relatively easy schedule and critical point games against the Caps & Penguins... so they at least control their fate.

Flyers and Caps have slightly more difficult schedules and face each other the last game of the season.

The remaining schedules, at least how they look...

Favor the Red Wings' playoff chances over the others.

I haven't given up, but I don't think a team that has lost 13 of their past 17 games has earned the right to be favored over anyone at this point. In addition to will they or won't they make the playoffs, the other question to debate is whether, if the Wings miss the playoffs, this will going down as the biggest collapse in Red Wings history, at least in the post-Original Six era. I'd say yes.  For the regular season, there's no doubt. If including playoffs, the Wings definitely have been on the receiving end of some upsets like Sharks in '94 and Flames in '04, but I think this March-April stretch has been as bad as it gets.

Edited April 6, 2024 by lordstanley

[gehringer_2]

It's always dangerous to see your team play a team that is as much better than there are as the Rangers are than the Wings. Probably more depressing that the situation really is, but you got the sense watching that game the Rangers has so much in tank they knew they could score pretty much whenever they flipped the switch to high gear and there was nothing the Wings would be able to do about it.

[lordstanley]

Points since February 28:

Carolina- 27

Dallas - 26

NYR- 25

Colorado - 25

Tampa- 24

Nashville - 24

Boston - 23

Los Angeles - 23

Toronto -21

St. Louis - 21

NYI - 21

Pittsburgh- 21

Buffalo- 21

Vancouver - 19

Florida- 19

Winnipeg - 19

Vegas - 19

Minnesota - 19

Washington- 19

Arizona - 18

Seattle -17

Ottawa- 17

Montreal- 16

Philadelphia -  14

Columbus - 14

Chicago - 14

New Jersey- 12

Anaheim - 11

Calgary - 10

Detroit- 10

San Jose - 7

 

Edited April 6, 2024 by lordstanley

[buddha]

32 minutes ago, lordstanley said:

Points since February 28:

Carolina- 27

Dallas - 26

NYR- 25

Colorado - 25

Tampa- 24

Nashville - 24

Boston - 23

Los Angeles - 23

Toronto -21

St. Louis - 21

NYI - 21

Pittsburgh- 21

Buffalo- 21

Vancouver - 19

Florida- 19

Winnipeg - 19

Vegas - 19

Minnesota - 19

Washington- 19

Arizona - 18

Seattle -17

Ottawa- 17

Montreal- 16

Philadelphia -  14

Columbus - 14

Chicago - 14

New Jersey- 12

Anaheim - 11

Calgary - 10

Detroit- 10

San Jose - 7

 

and all the hockey stat boy know it alls were crowing after that hawks win in ot that the wings were a lock for the playoffs.

one larkin injury later and were back to looking at lottery odds.

[lordstanley]

8 hours ago, buddha said:

and all the hockey stat boy know it alls were crowing after that hawks win in ot that the wings were a lock for the playoffs.

one larkin injury later and were back to looking at lottery odds.

There was no reason at all to think that a team that was #11 overall in points, a strong goal differential, 4th overall in goals scored, had plenty of scoring depth,  veteran experience, and started 2024 at 16-4-2 …would then be a bottom 3 team for the next 17 games. If they had simply matched Arizona, Montreal, Chicago or Columbus over that span they’d be sitting pretty for a playoff spot. 

[buddha]

7 hours ago, lordstanley said:

There was no reason at all to think that a team that was #11 overall in points, a strong goal differential, 4th overall in goals scored, had plenty of scoring depth,  veteran experience, and started 2024 at 16-4-2 …would then be a bottom 3 team for the next 17 games. If they had simply matched Arizona, Montreal, Chicago or Columbus over that span they’d be sitting pretty for a playoff spot. 

sure, but their underlying numbers appeared to show a team that was punching above its weight.

and so it turned out to be.

that said, it was a stunning collapse.  made even more stunning because it came largely against some of the worst teams in the league.

[lordstanley]

17 minutes ago, buddha said:

sure, but their underlying numbers appeared to show a team that was punching above its weight.

and so it turned out to be.

that said, it was a stunning collapse.  made even more stunning because it came largely against some of the worst teams in the league.

Right. And disappointingly, the only real difference Larkin's return has made is that they've won at least a few games here and there and they've been more competitive in most games. 4-11-2 over 17 games and I think Larkin missed just 8? So maybe 3-4-2 in the two games before he got hurt + the games since his return. Still not very good.

[Hongbit]

I still think they are going to make it.  

Dave Perron is finally going to catch fire and Debrincat’s puck luck is going to turn around.  
 

 

[buddha]

lyon saves them again.

that was a must win game.

[gehringer_2]

Seider and Edvinsson on the ice together at crunch time against the 6 on 5 - a first?

[lordstanley]

1 down, 5 to go.

I'm glad accuracy at shooting at empty nets isn't a playoff tiebreaker.

[lordstanley]

 

[buddha]

2 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

Seider and Edvinsson on the ice together at crunch time against the 6 on 5 - a first?

chairot was in the box or else he would have been out there.

[buddha]

48 minutes ago, lordstanley said:

1 down, 5 to go.

I'm glad accuracy at shooting at empty nets isn't a playoff tiebreaker.

i was yelling at my tv "ITS AN EMPTY NET!  JUST PUT IT ON THE NET"

[gehringer_2]

13 hours ago, buddha said:

chairot was in the box or else he would have been out there.

True, but whatever the reason, it was the first time I'd seem them on the ice together. The one thing that Edvinsson's handling seems to say is that Yzerman is more serious about player development than the Wing's short term win total. To me it's clear Edvinsson would have improved this team if he had been called up well before he was - I can only conclude he wasn't because he hadn't hit some targets they had established for him in GR and that was judged to be more important. Or maybe just more important until it began to look the wings might actually miss the playoff.

[lordstanley]

Tonight’s the 2nd of what I consider to be 3 straight must-win games. Seider has the flu but is expected to play. 

 

[oblong]

This is the biggest game in the history of that building tonight.  There will be another one next Monday. My son was at the Ilitch school this afternoon and said if was nuts already. 

[buddha]

biggest game for this team in years and their best d man is sick.  they just cant buy any injury luck this season.

 

[lordstanley]

Final 9 minutes almost played without a whistle, until 10 seconds left.  0-0 after 1. Wings were the better team and Compher had a couple of good chances back to back near the end. 

[lordstanley]

Whoa, NYI up 3-0 over the Rangers. Adds to the pressure. 

[Motor City Sonics]

Anyone have any fingernails left?